


We've Come Full Circle

by daxcat79



Series: Avenger's Identity [2]
Category: Bourne Legacy (2012), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Drama, F/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-30
Updated: 2012-12-03
Packaged: 2017-11-19 21:08:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/577669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daxcat79/pseuds/daxcat79
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My name is Valerie Barton. I was sent from the future to find a mole hidden in SHIELD’s ranks. Her name is Barbara Morse, and it’s my job to kill her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Codename: Firefly

**Author's Note:**

> Anything in italics is a flashback. Anything in bold is over the comm. All love and thanks goes to anuna_81 who started this story with a single conversation about Aaron Cross being Clint Barton (BECAUSE HE IS!) Please be assured, there is no Bobbi/hate in this fanfic. I adore her more than words could say! She’s totally my hero. Part of a series.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters, but I claim Valerie as my own twisted creation though….

**Part One “Codename: Firefly”**

There were three women he loved in one room, and two of them were holding a gun. His eyes were focused on the third. It didn’t have to end like this. It shouldn’t have, but when had anything ever gone according to plan? His life was in a constant state of flux and the moment he knew what the hell was going on, everything always changed. Even with a sharp mind he still felt twelve points lower than he should be. He couldn’t fix this. He couldn’t solve a puzzle with missing pieces. His gun was pointed at her heart, but if he pulled the trigger he might as well be killing himself. “Valerie, don’t do this… please.” It didn’t matter how desperate he sounded. He was desperate.

Valerie pressed the gun against Bobbi’s temple and tightened her grip. “You’re so pathetic, Barton. Your heart’s so big you can’t even see past it anymore. You’re missing the big picture.”

Natasha stood beside him, always beside him. Her gun was pointed at Valerie too, but there was no doubt she’d pull the trigger. Clint couldn’t let her make that sacrifice. He wouldn’t let her be the one to kill Valerie. She had enough blood on her ledger without adding her own… the daughter of Natasha Romanoff… fate just wouldn’t stop kicking their ass. “I see just fine, Valerie. I always have,” he replied. His voice sounded so much more certain than he felt. “Take a step back… you’ll see better from a distance.”

There was only one option. Valerie wouldn’t stop until someone was dead. Three women he loved in one room and he had a choice to make. Who would live and who would die? Turned out it was a lot simpler than even he knew. The barrel of his weapon was no longer pointed at Valerie, and he took a deep breath before pressing it against his skull. That got her attention. Finally he saw it… fear. Perhaps there was hope for her yet. “You can’t!” Valerie insisted.

He licked his lips and met his daughter’s gaze. “This is what you want, Valerie… you came here for blood. Take mine.”

She shoved Bobbi away with more speed than Clint had expected, but his finger was already squeezing the trigger. He heard one final scream, and everything went black.

*~*~* **48 Hours Earlier** *~*~*

Travelling through time was like being set on fire from the inside out. Every molecule was torn and ripped to shreds, and reassembled before she could even open her mouth to scream. That was the worst part of it. She couldn’t even scream. So much pain and she was forced to suffer it in silence. It was terrifying, and only a few were strong enough to take it without needing psychological counseling after. Valerie, on the other hand, was more concerned about what happens after. When the pain slowly eased away and air filled her lungs there was only one thing she had on her mind… clothes. All that technology to send a person back in time, but they couldn’t send her back with some goddamn clothes.

Her vision cleared slowly. Colors that once blurred together sharpen into view, and just like that she knew where she was. Not far from Stark Towers in an alley filled with garbage and filth. There was a chill in the air like a warning that winter was coming, and she forced herself to move. Clothes… she really needed clothes. It was late, probably past midnight. She’d have to keep in the shadows and away from street lamps before she was noticed. The point was to avoid making a scene, ironic considering she was a twenty-three year old naked woman in a random alley in New York. If she weren’t so highly trained… she might actually be worried.

“Holy shit… did we win the lottery or something?”

Oh… this was too easy. Valerie turned slowly to face the two men currently staring at her like starving wolves. She tried not to smile back at them as she gave them a good view. She didn’t speak. She didn’t move, only watched. They were tall in stature with old jeans and t-shirts (one grey and one white). The oldest had dark hair, and a little scruff just to give him that imposing edge. The other had brown hair with grey eyes that she met with great interest. He looked weary, so perhaps not as stupid, but just as interested.

“You got a name, beautiful?” the older of the two asked. He looked in his thirties at least. The other was clearly in his late teens.

“Valerie.” She needed them closer. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, feeling the roughness of the asphalt beneath her bare feet. Her muscles tightened, body alert to the relative danger of her situation. The older one was taking his time, and she wanted to roll her eyes. She didn’t have time for games. Stark was her ticket to SHIELD, and she had a job to do. “Please… help me,” she whispered. She kept her expression timid, but not quite scared. That did the job and soon both of them were walking towards her.

“Hear that Craig? The lady wants our help,” said the older one with a crooked grin and the moment he was in rage she reached out to them faster than the strike of a cobra. The older one she was more than happy to kill with a twist of his arm before she was close enough to break his neck. The younger one she left unconscious. There was something about the way he hesitated… perhaps all he needed was a little discipline to get him on the right path. It would be a shame to kill someone so young….

*~*~*

_“Marta, these people can help us. We can’t run forever. We’d never last like that.”_

_“I don’t trust them! They come out of nowhere to offer you this new identity… and you really think it’s going to be that simple? What makes you think they’re any less shady than the people who tried to kill us?!”_

_He couldn’t argue with her logic, but his gut was telling him this was different. He let his head hang for a moment as he looked at his hands and sighed. He wanted to protect them, protect her. He needed to keep her safe, and perhaps the desperation was getting to him. “I know you don’t trust them, but you do trust me right?” he asked, and looked up to search her eyes._

_Marta kneeled down to take his hands in hers. He let his thumb slide over her smooth skin, feeling her pulse under his fingertips. They always had this. It kept them human. All the running, all the danger, pumping adrenaline through their bodies more often than was healthy, but at the end of the day all they needed was each other’s touch to know they weren’t alone. All they needed was this to keep them sane. He held her hands tighter, and kept his gaze on her beautiful face. “Of course I trust you, Aaron. I’ll always trust you,” she whispered._

_He closed his eyes as her forehead brushed against his, and for a moment everything went still. The pressure of the past few months weighed heavily on him. These people who wanted them dead, shadows without a face, they were close and she would never be able to keep up. “Then trust me now… please,” he begged her. He’d never begged before. Her lips touched his before he could say anything more, and suddenly her hands weren’t enough._

Clint opened his eyes and took a deep breath. His head was pounding as if Thor himself had climbed in Barton’s skull to swing his hammer around. The room was dark, but that didn’t seem to matter. He quickly closed his eyes once more and groaned. He wanted to die. He really, really wanted to die. He was pretty sure he’d never drank so much in his entire life. It took him a moment to realize his arm was numb. He forced himself to turn his head and risk opening his eyes once more. There was a body lying next to him… a very masculine body. “Oh god….” There was no way. It didn’t matter how drunk he was. There was no way. “Tony?!”

“Oh jeez… too loud,” Stark complained with a moan and rolled over, allowing Clint’s arm to go free.

Barton immediately rolled out of bed; thanking every god he could think of when he saw that they were both wearing clothes… lots of clothes. His head immediately took it up a notch and Clint squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples before his brain could explode from the pain. “What the hell happened?”

“I believe I can answer that… alcohol happened. Lots of alcohol.” He didn’t have to open his eyes to know that was Pepper’s voice.

“I think I might throw up,” muttered Stark, muffled by his pillow.

Clint sunk to the floor and let his head fall back against the wall. “Somebody shoot me.”

“You know it’s bad enough that I have to deal with Stark’s hangovers, but somehow I expected more from you, Agent Barton.”

Clint flashed her a weakened smile. “I expected more from me too,” he admitted. The fact was in the last few weeks his life had turned upside down. Natasha wasn’t speaking to him, he and Bobbi’s identities quite possibly had been revealed to their enemies, and their last mission had gone to hell. HYDRA was waiting for them… like they knew. The Avengers had barely made it out alive, and that was mostly because of Bruce Banner’s anger issues.

Pepper handed him a cup of coffee, eyes softened by sympathy. “Maybe this will help.”

Barton thanked her before taking a sip and savoring the warm liquid. It was exactly what he needed. “Don’t worry… I’ll never drink again, especially if it ends with me sharing a bed with Stark,” he joked.

Tony leaned up just enough to kiss Pepper and accept the mug of coffee she’d brewed. “That’s funny, Pepper’s never complained before. No worries, Agent Barton. I kept my hands to myself.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Steve thought it would be funny if he dropped you both in the same bed,” she revealed with a small smile.

Stark frowned. “That bastard… he’s been hanging out with me far too much. I’m a little bit proud of him now.”

Clint decided not to talk. It was better if he just kept his eyes closed and drank his coffee. The hammering in his head had eased only a bit, but not enough. He still wanted to kill himself… or Stark. He couldn’t decide.

*~*~*

She’d expected more of a challenge from someone as intelligent as Tony Stark. His security was far too lax, though who would dare challenge an Avenger? His weakness was his pride. He was deluded enough to believe he was safe in his little castle surrounded by the team he’d helped create. Valerie wasn’t impressed. She was a trained chameleon, and nothing more than a ghost to Jarvis’ watchful gaze. She’d studied blueprints of the building for long enough to know which way she needed to go. Stark was the key to SHIELD, and she was certain time was not on her side. By this point they’d already seen for themselves what HYDRA was capable of with someone on the inside to feed them information. They were licking their wounds while SHIELD scrambled around trying to understand what it all meant. They wouldn’t find out until it was too late. It’s why she was sent back in the first place.

She passed Banner’s lab with a curious glance. The room was empty, though it was still fairly early. Intel on the past was always filled with holes. Information degraded over time, and most details once considered trivial never made it to their reports. She had to be flexible. She had to think on her feet. This was the first time in months that the Avengers were all in one place (Thor included) and it was very important she find them together. It was also important she put on a good show. Tony Stark appreciated a good show… such a drama queen. Banner!

Valerie jumped back behind the corner and watched Bruce walk by, absorbed in whatever report he was studying, she didn’t really care. How many looked upon him with fear? The Hulk and mild-mannered Bruce Banner. She’d watched him change so many times. His skin turning green, body mass growing, and slowly the man turned into the monster. Fear inspiring indeed, but Valerie also knew how to tame the beast. The moment he turned to corner she pulled out her gun and pressed the metal to his temple. His eyes widened. “Ummm… you really don’t wanna do that.”

Valerie smiled. He was still so young… just barely finding the balance to turn the Hulk from menace to hero. “I’m sure I really do. Take me to Tony Stark.”

His eyes shot to hers, and she met his gaze without fear. “If you pull that trigger I’m sure you know what happens next.”

“I’m sure Stark would just love for you to make a mess of his tower. Feel free to summon the beast. Either way, Stark is sure to follow.”

That brilliant mind was already picking apart her plan and realizing the no-win situation he was in. He was trying to keep his calm, and he was also trying to figure her out. “You do realize he’d kill you… right?”

She kept her expression amused and calm. She knew it threw him off, confused that precious mind of his. “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” she whispered in his ear playfully.

Bruce swallowed hard, still staring her down. “Fine… we go see Stark, but you may want to put the gun away.”

“I will,” she assured him. “Eventually….”

*~*~*

When he’d woken up beside Stark he hadn’t really thought about what the day would bring, but coming face to face with a red head holding a gun to Bruce Banner’s head hadn’t even reached his top twenty. Clint wasn’t at the top of his game, still recovering from the hangover from hell, and Stark had just barely managed to stop throwing up. It felt like one of those Clint Eastwood movies of the Wild West. Guns were drawn. Her pistol was pressed against Banner’s temple, and his was pointed straight at her chest, and they were both waiting for someone to blink. “Ummm, you really don’t wanna do that,” warned Stark.

Banner let out a tired sigh. “I already told her.”

If she shot her gun she’d be releasing the Hulk on Stark Towers, and Barton knew firsthand what that could do. Suddenly the building seemed very small, and a bit too closed in. She wasn’t holding a gun. She was holding the trigger to a time bomb. “What do you want? Who sent you?” he finally asked, keeping his hands steady despite the ache in his skull.

The red head’s gaze turned to him and her smile vanished completely. “You know, you really shouldn’t drink so much. It may take you longer to get drunk, but that doesn’t mean the hangovers aren’t just as vicious.”

He schooled his face as best he could, but this wasn’t his expertise. He was a marksman… Natasha was the spy. “I appreciate your concern, but you still haven’t told me who you are.”

And just like that the smile was back, and to his surprise the gun was removed from Bruce Banner’s head. “My name is Valerie Barton. I’m your daughter.”

Perhaps she was right… he really shouldn’t drink so much.

*~*~*

He couldn’t stop staring, though it had nothing to do with her beauty. Somehow this woman had found a way to break into Stark Towers, pressed a gun to his head without fear, and dropped a bomb on them all that no one was quite ready to believe. Bruce had seen her blood work though. Clint Barton was this young woman’s father. The trouble came in trying to figure out how she’d gotten here, and what exactly she wanted. Valerie turned her head to meet his gaze, idly playing with the band-aid they’d put on after taking some samples of her blood. Tony Stark was still going over the test results, having noticed quite a few irregularities. “I was never going to shoot you,” she told him. Her eyes told a different story. There was mischief in those eyes.

“You could have just told me the truth.” He was a scientist. He appreciated truth.

Valerie rolled her eyes. “Oh please! ‘Hello Bruce, my name is Valerie Barton, I’m from the future, and I’d like it if you took me to my father now.’ I don’t like wasting my time.”

He had to admit, it would have been a hard pill to swallow. He probably would have taken her to the psych ward before he took her to Tony or Clint. “So you decided to shove a gun to my head?”

She shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it?”

It did, but it hadn’t exactly inspired confidence. “It will be harder for us to trust you after a stunt like that,” he pointed out.

Her eyes narrowed at that, and her easy smile was gone. “I don’t need your trust.”

There was something about the way she said that, and Banner found himself contemplating what could have possibly turned her into this. What kind of future were they to look forward to? Valerie Barton, the daughter of an Avenger, where did they go wrong? She was beautiful and brilliant, but the shiver that ran down his back kept him on high alert. She was dangerous. He saw no fear in her eyes, and that in itself spoke volumes.

“You are impossible!”

Bruce turned at the sound of Tony’s voice. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his skin was extremely pale, but he seemed far more alive than he had hours ago. Valerie lifted a single eyebrow at Stark. “I take it you got a better look at my blood work.”

“Not just your blood work, honey. I saw it all. Implants at the base of your skull and through most of your body… clearly my tech, where did you get it?”

Bruce knew Tony got extra protective with his own technology. He’d seen what it could do in the wrong hands. Valerie licked dry lips before she spoke. “Actually the designs for _those_ implants weren’t yours.”

“Would you like to see the design plans? I know my own work!” Stark argued. “Try again.”

“Actually, it was your son that designed the implants, Tony. His name is Thomas by the way; really smart guy… not nearly as much fun though.”

Banner watched Stark’s eyes widen for a second, obviously surprised at the thought of himself as a father. For a moment Bruce wondered if he… no, probably not. He couldn’t really see The Hulk as a father figure. Tony eventually recovered and cleared his throat. “You were given a variation of the super soldier serum,” he pointed out.

Valerie shook her head. “I inherited it from my mother… along with quite a few gifts from my father. You should see what I can do with a couple knives.” It took Bruce a minute to realize she was flirting with Stark, and it just seemed wrong on so many levels.

Tony’s eyes narrowed, and he looked curious. “I like your hair… interesting color.”

It had occurred to Bruce too. Red hair. They only knew one person with red hair, and it wouldn’t be a shock to anyone if their suspicions were confirmed. Valerie just flashed him a playful smile. “Oh Tony, you’re such a flirt.”

Just like that Stark stiffened, and Bruce wondered just how frustrated the other man really was. She was playing games with them both, and Tony was losing. “What are you doing here? What could you possibly want?”

Valerie stood, holding Tony’s gaze. “There’s a mole in SHIELD and I was sent here to eliminate her... before she gets a lot of people killed, including my father.”

To Be Continued


	2. The Origin Of Valerie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters, but I claim Valerie as my own twisted creation though….

_Her first memory was of death. Valerie was very young, but even then she never cried. She wasn’t old enough to comprehend what was happening around her, but she was old enough to remember every moment of it. If she closed her eyes she could almost smell the smoke fill her lungs as men in dark suits set her world on fire. She remembered holding onto a woman’s hand, not her mothers, and it felt cold to the touch despite the flames. It wasn’t until later that she would learn that woman had been dead for hours. The empty eyes would haunt her for years to come._

_Those men took her that night, pulling her away from the cold hand she’d been clinging to in fear. They carried her on their shoulder as she watched the house she’d been staying in burn, and the only family she’d ever known with it. Her safe haven was destroyed, and all she could do was watch. It would take a year before she was rescued from those men, and by then the chance for the normal life her mother had been hoping for was dead. Her fate was sealed. This was who she was, who she was always meant to be. Valerie Barton was always meant to be turned into a weapon._

Valerie had seen his picture in files given to her by SHIELD, but she’d never had the opportunity to meet Clint Barton in person. He was older than she’d expected, though still just as fit as any twenty year old. She had his eyes. Somehow that pleased her. It didn’t matter that he seemed unable to meet her gaze, or perhaps unwilling. She couldn’t exactly blame him for that. It was a lot of information to process in one day… especially while recovering from a hangover.

Stark had left to contact Director Fury (finally) and Bruce had seemed eager to give them time alone. She didn’t see the point in conversation when there was very little information she could share. Barton cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck to fill the silence. “So… Valerie, I like the name.”

“I would hope so.” He obviously didn’t know how to think before he spoke. How he’d ever managed to go toe to toe with the Black Widow was beyond her.

Clint smiled at that, shaking his head. “This is really… weird.”

“Not for me.” She found it entertaining as hell.

He let out a sigh and shook his head. “Jeez… you’re just like her,” he muttered, eyes filled with wonder and frustration. She had no doubt he’d connected the dots just as the others had. Her hair was a dead giveaway.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re just as stubborn as her too,” he pointed out, cracking a smile.

Her lips curled in a genuine smile. “That’s funny… most people say I get my stubborn side from you.”

Just like that the awkwardness melted away, and there was something different in his gaze. She’d never seen it before, at least, not directed at her. It was sort of like fondness, or maybe pride? She couldn’t say for sure. All she knew was she liked it. She liked it a lot.

*~*~*

“So you don’t trust her?” questioned Fury.

Tony wasn’t sure when he became a trusted advisor to Nick Fury. It was true, Phil Coulson’s death had affected everyone, but he was still the same volatile, self-obsessed asshole he’d been before the Avengers came together to protect the planet from an alien incursion. He’d like to think he’d gotten better at ‘playing with others,’ although he was sure Captain _stretch-pants_ would beg to differ. He could see the shift coming, that point in which he found himself tied to something dangerous and dark, and eventually he would have to make a choice. SHIELD had a lot to answer for, Nick Fury especially, but perhaps someone like Tony was exactly what they needed? Perhaps they needed a person honest enough to tell them when they needed to get their shit together. He usually deferred to Pepper for things like that.

Stark stared up at the screen, shoving a hand in his pocket as he contemplated an answer that would make sense. “I don’t _not_ trust her.”

Fury looked less than amused. “Either you trust her or you don’t, Stark.”

“She’s the daughter of Clint Barton… but I think it’s also pretty obvious she’s Romanoff’s kid too. That makes her dangerous… I’m just not sure which side she’s a danger too, yet. She’s hiding something, but I believe her when she says SHIELD has a mole. Our last mission… they knew we were coming. There’s no other way they could have known unless someone told them to be ready.”

The Director let out a tired sigh, one of many as far as Tony could tell. “Keep an eye on her. In the meantime I’ll send my best operative to evaluate her.”

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed at that. “Isn’t it a bit of a conflict of interests to send the Black Widow to evaluate her own daughter?”

Fury smiled at that. “You’d think…” was his only reply before he shut off communications. Tony supposed he was right. Romanoff was really good at putting feelings aside for the job, though it didn’t mean they didn’t exist, or that there wasn’t a first time for everything.

*~*~*

_“So what now?” She tried not to be angry with him for keeping his background a secret. She didn’t want to feel betrayed, like he owed her something. Clint didn’t owe Natasha an explanation. Perhaps that’s what hurt worse? He didn’t owe her his story, but she’d fought so hard to give him hers, and now it seemed he hadn’t been quite as inclined to do the same._

_“I wish I knew.”_

_“Tell me something about you… something true.” Natasha was a spy. Truth had never been a part of her life, but her relationship with Clint had been the closest thing to it. Or so she had thought. It felt like their foundation was crumbling down and she didn’t want that. She needed something to hold onto. Everything he’d ever told her about himself was a lie, including his name. The foundation was falling and only truth would save it._

_He kissed her. Clint Barton was kissing her. Perhaps it was the only truth he could give her. Despite her anger she took it willingly. She took it and demanded more. There was no doubt she wanted him, wanted this. Natasha wanted to crawl into those secret places he’d been hiding from her and live there. She wanted to ruin him. She wanted everything she’d never allowed herself to have before. It was selfish, and dangerous, but she couldn’t stop._

_Barton’s lips were gentle, saying all the things he refused to put into words. His hands touched her skin like silk… soft and smooth. She wanted more. There was something growing inside her, feeding off the betrayal and anger and the years of lust she’d denied. She pushed him down on the bed and straddled him, deepening the kiss with all the desperation growing inside her. If he couldn’t save their friendship with the truth, then she’d make sure she ruined it completely. Sex changed everything. It always did._

Two weeks. It’d been two weeks since she learned Clint Barton was Aaron Cross… who was actually Kenneth Kitsom. It’d been two weeks since they’d slept together. It’d been two weeks since they’d talked. When Fury told her to jump on a flight back to New York she’d been ready to argue with his orders, but something told her it was serious for him to pull her from her work at such a critical point in her mission. She’d been in Russia hunting an ex-HYDRA agent when Fury contacted her. Her flight had already been booked.

She knew she’d have to face it eventually. They worked together too often and too well to avoid each other for long. While she’d been off being a spy, he’d been stuck playing the babysitter for heroes now that Coulson was gone. Natasha was a realist. Nothing good ever lasted for long, though her relationship with Barton had certainly beat expectations. She hadn’t expected to last a week, let alone years. She certainly hadn’t expected it to grow the way it did, morphing into something so strong it physically hurt knowing it might be ruined. It didn’t change the fact that she was angry. She was angry at him, but she was mostly angry with herself. She’d fooled herself into believing in fairytales. Her and Barton… it was always meant to end badly. Nothing so strong could ever be snuffed out quietly.

*~*~*

They didn’t call it a prison, but it might as well have been one. Tony Stark could be a bit cocky at times, but he was no fool. He didn’t trust her. Why should he? She certainly hadn’t given him a reason too. He was simply a means to an end. The room was large and comfortable with enormous windows revealing an impressive view of New York. She could still see hints of the destruction they’d suffered during Loki’s invading army. She tried not to think about what would become of this world in her time. It only made her sad.

This was a significant point in their history. This was when everything changed… hope would turn to despair. The tides would turn on this great city and like Babylon and ancient Rome it would meet its end. The city would burn and the lights would go out. Nothing so perfect could ever last, but if Valerie was successful, perhaps they might prevent the inevitable just a little while longer. It didn’t matter what happened tomorrow in her eyes. She was a child born for one purpose. It was in her blood, hardwired in her DNA. She had a job to do.

Valerie took a seat on the cool bed and pulled the small knife from her boot, but was stalled at a sudden knocking at her door. With a curse under her breath she shoved the knife back down and stood just as Clint Barton opened the door. He’d changed his clothes since she last saw him, and taken the time to shave… and probably shower. Considering the state he’d been in this morning, he looked at lot more human. “Did you need something?”

Barton stayed close to the door, leaning against the wall as his eyes took in her room. “I uh… just wanted to make sure you were comfortable.”

“I’d be more comfortable if this room wasn’t locked from the outside,” she muttered, not bothering to hide her distaste with being locked away.

“Yeah… it’s just a precaution. Stark… he really doesn’t trust you.”

Her lips curled in a playful smile. “Smart boy….” Clint didn’t seem to like that, lips tightening in a tight frown. Perhaps it bothered him that he couldn’t trust his own daughter. She had to be quite a disappointment… his daughter the spy, the assassin, the cold-hearted bitch. She killed people like he did. She was dangerous. She understood that look in his eyes. He thought himself a hero, and it was her soul he wanted to save. He really had spent far too much time with Captain America. “I didn’t exactly make the best impression.”

“You really didn’t.”

He was easy to read. She knew exactly what he wanted to hear. “Sorry about that… I do have a job to do.”

“To save my life?” he questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

She let her smile fall and looked away. “You weren’t the only one we lost, but I won’t pretend it isn’t why I was chosen for this mission. I can’t fail. The cost would be too high.”

He was walking toward her, and she had to resist rolling her eyes. He wasn’t even a challenge. Barton pulled her to him in a gentle embrace. When he pulled away he was looking into her eyes. “I never imagined I’d be a father one day.”

A small smile and she held his gaze. She played her part with ease. “Let me find this mole… and you will be.”

*~*~*

“She’s hiding something,” muttered Clint with a sigh, pacing back and forth in Stark’s room.

“Of course she’s hiding something.” Tony rolled his eyes dramatically, and took a sip of his drink. “I’m just relieved you see it too.”

He did see it. He’d have to be an idiot not to. He was a father. He’d made this beautifully dangerous woman and he had no idea how to process that, but he was still an agent of SHIELD… and he knew when he was being played. “Fury’s sending Natasha?” He already knew the answer even before he posed the question. She was a human lie-detector. She was the best interrogator he’d ever known. If anyone could find out what Valerie was hiding, it’d be Natasha. The fact that it’d been weeks since they last spoke made it that much more complicated. He had no clue what he was going to say when she finally arrived.

Stark was staring at him, gently stirring whatever mix of alcohol he’d made for himself while Barton was talking with his daughter. He looked like a dog with a bone, eyes wide with sudden understanding. Clint had seen that look before, and it was never good. “You slept with her didn’t you.”

He didn’t blink, kept his eyes steady as he curled his lips in amusement. “You noticed the red hair too, huh? Guess I have something to look forward to.” Barton didn’t mind Tony so much, but there was no way in hell he’d admit to sleeping with Natasha. However he couldn’t exactly deny Valerie either. Whatever his relationship with Natasha, at some point they would be parents. The whole idea sent his mind spinning, but he wasn’t going to let Stark know that.

“Lucky bastard,” muttered Stark with a smirk.

Barton chuckled. “I do get killed sometime in the future… not sure I’m that lucky.”

Stark paused. “Holy shit, you don’t think Natasha really kills after she mates do you? That whole ‘Black Widow’ name never did sit right with me!”

Barton really hoped he was joking. He eyed Tony’s drink suspiciously. “Exactly how much have you had to drink, Stark?”

The billionaire could only shrug. “A lot, why do you ask?”

Figured. “No reason….”

*~*~*

Carefully Valerie pulled down her pants and shifted her body to get a better view of her thigh, holding the small pocket knife as steady as possible. She had to take her time cutting her flesh, feeling the sharp sting as blood flowed from her wound. It didn’t really hurt her anymore. She’d done it too many times to feel the pain. When the cut was sufficient she grabbed her pocket knife and used tweezers to remove the device imbedded in her skin. Moments later the cut was repaired, a gift from Stark tech that she certainly appreciated. She couldn’t afford for anything to slow her down.

She quirked an eyebrow up and licked her lips. “JARVIS?”

**“Yes, Miss. Barton,”** answered the AI without hesitation.

She activated the device, watching the light flash from red to green as the wireless download was completed. “From now on, you work for me. We have a job to do, JARVIS, and I’ll be needed your assistance. Confirm conformation.”

**“Conformation confirmed. I am here to assist.”**

A wide grin and she could have kissed Thomas’ secret weapon if not for the blood. “Download everything you have on Barbara Morse to this device, and show me what you have on both her and Marta Shearing.”

**“Downloading now.”**

Valerie slipped back in the bed, sitting up and let out a sigh. “Display.” In seconds the empty space in front of her lit up with a holographic database on Barbara Morse, and her lips curled. Too easy. Stark was going to be so pissed. She scrolled through anything she wasn’t already aware of, and mapped out the fastest route to Morse’s apartment. “Excellent. We’re going to arrange a little distraction for your former boss, Tony Stark… and the rest of the Avengers. Let’s cut the power… and make things interesting. Think you can handle that?”

**“It will be done, Miss. Barton,”** said JARVIS. Now all she needed was to find out where they put her gun….

*~*~*

_“Oh child, don’t tell me you can literally come face to face with death, but shudder and shake in the dark.”_

_For a child taken from everything she knew, Valerie tried very hard to be brave, but she couldn’t take the dark. The blackness stirred something inside of her, a type of panic that couldn’t be controlled or reasoned with. She could face almost anything but the unknown. She couldn’t explain such fears to the large man standing over her. She couldn’t even begin to comprehend why she screamed when he turned off the lights. All little Valerie knew was she couldn’t stop shaking. “Please… don’t turn off the lights,” she whispered._

_The large man shook his head, lips curled in a cruel smile. “Poor little Valerie Barton… so scared of the black.” He turned off the lights and she immediately cried, but a hand covered her mouth and she couldn’t scream. She could feel his warm breath against her ear. “Face your fears, Valerie. From now on, this is where you live… you live in the dark. This is home!”_

_One year. One year in the dark. It didn’t really cure her of her fears… only shifted it, molded it into something else. Fear turned to anger, and anger to hate. She hated the black._

With the power off Valerie was freed from her prison. Enhancements allowed her to see better and avoid tripping on her own feet, but she was forced to rely on memory to navigate her way through Stark Towers. Until she found a weapon, her knife was the only thing she could use to defend herself. It was more than enough. Anyone who’d stayed behind after hours, random scientists and assistants were knocked out before they had a clue what was happening. Valerie Barton was on the move. She had a mission to finish.

*~*~*

“JARVIS?! JARVIS?!”

“What the hell is going on? What happened to the power?” Barton demanded angrily, following behind Tony who was busy rushing towards where he’d stored his suit.

“How should I know?! JARVIS is offline! How the hell is that even possible?!”

The archer could only rush behind him, pulling out his pistol and wishing he had a flashlight to help him see. It was way too dark. “No emergency lights? Nothing?!”

Stark cursed under his breath. “Nothing like this has been possible before! It shouldn’t be happening. Something’s not right!”

“I’ll say!”

“Just shut up and let me think!” barked Tony. Clint had never seen Stark so clueless and unaware. The cocky bastard he knew and… tolerated was too busy getting his ass handed to him by some unknown entity. Anything that could screw up Tony Stark had to be a serious threat. Stark froze suddenly. Barton bumped into him hard, unaware that he’d stopped and stumbled back. “Valerie!”

“You think she could be responsible?” Clint asked, a little worried Tony was right. She’d certainly kept them on their toes so far.

Tony was walking again. “Your daughter is seriously messing with my calm!” 

Barton rolled his eyes, following once again. “She’s not my daughter… yet.”

*~*~*

He hadn’t bothered telling Tony he’d taken a second look at Valerie Barton’s X-rays. He’d suspected not all the tech in her body were just implants, and when he’d seen the small device located under her skin he’d been sure his instincts were right. The question was what to do with that knowledge. He couldn’t begin to guess what the device was used for. He found himself thinking like Romanoff, because in the end that was exactly who Valerie was.

She was her mother’s daughter. She was a spy. She was a shadow. She would manipulate and control the people around her until she got what she wanted. He’d seen Natasha in action. She fed people truth as a distraction, woven seamlessly with the lies. It was what made her so good at her job. He couldn’t stop thinking about his conversation with Valerie. She’d never wanted their trust. She’d broken into Stark Towers for information, about the mole perhaps, but she’d never intended to work with them. She’d never needed their trust.

When the lights went out Bruce knew. He was ready, but he wouldn’t need the Hulk for this one. This time his mind was the only weapon Banner needed to wield. He waited for her, because he knew the easiest route to exit the Tower without power. And the moment he heard her… the moment shadows moved he squeezed the trigger and watched something very large drop. He always kept a tranquilizer gun nearby… just in case. He used the light from his phone to shine over the body and smiled when he saw her beautiful red hair. “You really are just like your mother… almost.” He was pretty sure he never would have been able to take Romanoff down… at least not without the other guy.

To Be Continued


	3. The Legacy

_It was amazing… the things desperation did to a person. When the pressure got too great and there was no time to think, recklessness turned mice into men and men into monsters. Desperation made everything grey, and the line between good and evil blurred all the more. SHIELD was supposed to be her saving grace, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and Valerie Barton was far too special to waste._

_The first super soldier was born out of desperation, and it never stopped. Captain America was impossible, an enigma, and no one could see why the results couldn’t be duplicated. Bruce Banner’s recklessness created the Hulk, but even then… they had no idea how much worse it could be. The beta program, Jason Bourne, and Aaron Cross…they were all just different versions of that one singular dream. Desperation and recklessness caused them to lose control. All they did was create more monsters. It would never stop. That blurred line might as well not exist anymore._

_Valerie Barton’s blood was power. Everything about her existence was unique. They couldn’t resist her, like a moth to a flame. She was yet another monster to add to the list. Nick Fury would teach her how to be a killer, all because of desperation. There was just one problem about monsters… they didn’t take kindly to control. “Valerie, this mission… it could change everything. This is so much more than the Avengers. The Avengers was about bringing together the gods among men to defend this world.” His hand dropped to the smooth metal portal that would send her back in time. “With this… we ARE the gods… gods of time.”_

_Nothing he said mattered. She cared nothing about power, time, or even gods. When she looked at that device she only saw one thing… a second chance. “I can do this, Nick. I’m not afraid.”_

_He laughed at that, and shook his head. “But you should be… and that’s the problem. You really should be.”_

Her mouth tasted funny, her vision was blurred, and she was pretty sure she was cuffed to a chair. Valerie’s lips curled. “How long was I out?”

She wasn’t surprised when Nick Fury’s voice answered her. “Not long. We decided to keep you under while Agent Romanoff transported you to our base here in New York. You really pissed Stark off with that stunt you pulled.”

He was so young. His voice was stronger, his countenance more self-assured. She’d always wondered what he was like before she’d known him. He hadn’t changed much. “He’ll get over it. His pride is far too massive to allow someone like me to do much damage.” She couldn’t help but smile as she lifted her head to meet Fury’s gaze. “Hello, Nick.”

He gave nothing away, not that she expected him to. “You are some piece of work… though I gotta say, I’m impressed. You live up to the family name… quite a legacy.”

In the end it always came back to her parents. The daughter of Hawkeye and Black Widow… she had a reputation to uphold. Her restraints were thorough. She wouldn’t be escaping anytime soon. “I wasn’t lying about the mole, Nick.”

“The last person to piss so many Avengers off didn’t fair too well-”

“I’m not your enemy,” she interrupted in annoyance. She didn’t have time for talk. The small cell he was keeping her in looked no bigger than a bathroom. The walls were concrete, and the chair was sturdy and heavy. Time was running out and she hadn’t planned for this. “You sent me here with a job to do… now let me do it!”

“I sent you?”

She rolled her eyes. “You trained me personally. How could you not? I’m the perfect weapon with a family tree like mine.”

Nick shook his head, leaning against the wall across from her. “Give me a name.”

“That information is classified.”

“According to you… I’m the one who authorized this mission. You saying this mission is classified to the very person who sent you on it?”

Time travel was a very complicated thing. Sometimes it got messy. She wasn’t fond of messy. Valerie narrowed her gaze, hands tightening into fists. “Ask me again in a couple years, eh?”

Fury laughed. “Right… well, I’ll be sure to do that. In the mean time I’ll give you some time to think about it. All I need is a name. Seems like if we we’re on the same side that wouldn’t be so hard.” He knocked on the door and it was opened to him. Just like that Nick Fury was gone… but she was sure he was watching. She let her eyes slide shut, and cleared her mind. This was going to hurt….

*~*~*

“Natasha.”

She hated the way he said her name… whispered like a prayer to her ears. The way he’d made love to her… he’d said her name so many times, and it hurt. It physically hurt to hear him say her name because she knew it was all wrong. They were an accident waiting to happen. It was why she’d made certain to ruin what they had. His hand gently slipped down to her wrist, preventing her from leaving, but she refused to meet his gaze. “What do you want, Barton?”

“You only call me by my last name when you’re mad.”

Natasha shook her head, and pulled her arm away from his light grip. She couldn’t deal with this right now… especially considering the fact that their child was currently being interrogated by Director Fury. “This isn’t the time.”

“When is the time?”

She let out a huff, because he was just so frustrating. He never played fair. She still refused to meet his gaze. “I don’t know… maybe there isn’t one,” she admitted. The last time they’d seen each other they were naked. Her skin still tingled where he’d touched her moments ago, as if her body had a mind of its own. It craved him. She craved him. Clint Barton was her drug, and she’d decided to go cold turkey. She couldn’t indulge in him anymore, because it was dangerous. They were dangerous.

His left hand moved to her chin and forced her gaze upwards. She didn’t fight him no matter how badly she wanted to. When her eyes met his… she knew she was done for. He wasn’t going to let her walk away. She should have known better. “We have a daughter, Natasha.”

“That’s the future.”

“Our future.”

It didn’t change anything. She refused to let what could be change the decisions she made now. She didn’t want to think about Valerie Barton. She didn’t want to think about fate or destiny. Natasha didn’t like feeling like she didn’t have a choice, and that’s exactly what this felt like. She moved away from him and wrapped her arms around herself like a shield, like somehow she could protect herself from him this way. “We have a job to do, Barton. You need to focus on that. She’s dangerous.”

“She’s our daughter.”

“Exactly!” That’s really what it came down to. They’d come together and created something powerful and deadly. She was a weapon. Natasha wanted no part of that. “That’s part of the problem! We’re compromised! She’s been manipulating you from the start, and if it wasn’t for Banner… who knows what she would have done!” It wasn’t his fault, but she lashed out at him anyway. She was frustrated and angry. It was always the one closest that got hurt the worst. “Open your eyes! Is she really the future you want?!”

“You want me to answer that?” he asked, and he was staring at her as if he could see right through her.

She immediately deflated. “No.”

“I’m sorry… am I interrupting something?”

It wasn’t until that moment she realized they were no longer alone. She wasn’t used to surprises, but Clint Barton had a way of keeping her off balance. Bobbi was standing at the door looking incredibly uncomfortable. Natasha wanted nothing more than to leave at that moment. “Of course not, Bobbi… I was just leaving.”

“But I… Natasha, didn’t you call for me?” she asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

Clint glanced at Natasha, but she was just as clueless as he was. She’d never made any call. What could she possibly need Bobbi for? “No… I didn’t.”

“Of course you didn’t… I did.”

Their guns were drawn in seconds, but neither had a clear shot as the pistol was shoved against the side of Bobbi’s face and they saw Valerie smile. Natasha’s eyes widened in surprise, because there was simply no way… her eyes had to be deceiving her. There was no possible way she could have escaped.

*~*~*

Valerie Barton was good at three things in life… lying, killing, and escapes. She’d spent most of her life in one prison after another since the third World War. The first time she escaped from cuffs she was six years old. The first time she escaped from a prison cell she was ten. The first time she’d escaped from a SHIELD prison cell she was fourteen, all thanks to Nick Fury’s wonderful training. They may have removed much of her tech, but they couldn’t remove the implants that allowed her to regenerate. A few easy breaks and she’d freed herself from the chair. It took ten minutes for the bones to be repaired and for the guards to rush in and see she was no longer strapped away. She really did have a schedule to keep, and she knew she wouldn’t get far when every agent knew her face and what she was capable of. Instead of going off to find Barbara Morse, she’d made the mark come to her. Everyone always said she sounded a lot like her mother….

She couldn’t help smiling to see both her parents pointing weapons at her… quite the family reunion. “How did you escape?” her mother asked, voice betraying nothing like a good little spy. Valerie didn’t doubt she’d pull the trigger eventually. Family didn’t mean much to the Black Widow. It didn’t mean much to the Firefly either. They were related by blood, but they’d never really been family. Natasha Romanoff wasn’t the motherly type.

She met her mother’s gaze, and narrowed her eyes. “Like mother like daughter,” was the only answer she was willing to give.

The woman she was holding, her mission, was whimpering in her arms, but Valerie squeezed against her windpipe so she couldn’t speak. She was just barely capable of breathing, and even that would be impossible soon. Hands gripped her arm, trying to fight, but lack of oxygen made her struggle in vain. Barton licked his lips, staring at Bobbi and Valerie with that desperation in his eyes. “Valerie, what the hell are you doing?! Put the gun away!”

Her eyebrows wrinkled and she laughed. “This is the woman I was sent to kill… why would I ever stop now?”

He only hesitated for a moment. “That’s not possible!”

“She’s been feeding HYDRA secrets for weeks now, Barton. She’s the reason you die!”

A gasp, and a shudder against Valerie was the only reaction Bobbi gave away, but Clint’s face was filled with doubt. “Valerie, don’t do this… please.”

It was maddening! These people! So caught up in their connections with each other that they couldn’t see what was happening! She hadn’t been in the past long, but from what she could see, it was no wonder New York would turn to rubble! “You’re so pathetic, Barton. Your heart’s so big you can’t even see past it anymore. You’re missing the big picture.”

“I see just fine, Valerie. I always have,” Clint replied. “Take a step back… you’ll see better from a distance.” She wouldn’t be stalled any longer. She had a job to do. Bobbi was losing consciousness. She wouldn’t even feel the bullet pierce her skull. It was far more merciful than what she deserved. Her finger itched to pull the trigger, but Clint made the first move… albeit, not the move she’d expected. The barrel of his weapon was pressed against his skull, and her eyes widened.

“You can’t!” she shouted.

He licked his lips and met Valerie’s gaze. “This is what you want, Valerie… you came here for blood. Take mine.”

She shoved Bobbi away with a scream when Natasha turned to Clint and used the handle of her weapon to knock him out. He went down hard, but the gun still went off, just barely missing its target. The moment he dropped everything went still and she met her mother’s eyes. Natasha turned her weapon back to Valerie, pointing straight at her chest. She had no choice. She dropped her gun. Why would he do it? Why would he willingly take his life? “You would have shot me…” she whispered.

Natasha blinked once, and if Valerie didn’t know better… she could have sworn they looked red. “I would have killed you… he probably saved your life.”

Valerie glanced down at her father lying unconscious on the floor. She wished he hadn’t. He should have let Natasha shoot. “Barbara Morse is trading secrets to HYDRA… you can’t trust her.”

A subtle nod, but she said nothing. Her mission had failed, but perhaps there was still hope….

*~*~*

“Are you a mole?” Natasha had always liked Barbara Morse. She was clever. She cared about people, and could be surprisingly brave when facing danger. She knew why Clint cared about her, why they’d been together all those years ago. Although she’d never learned what happened to tear them apart, Natasha knew part of it was her fault. She’d never meant to get in the way.

Bobbi was holding herself as if she’d fall apart at any moment. It was the only real evidence that her life had almost been extinguished… that and the bruise around her neck. Tears dripped down her face as she turned to look at Natasha. “Can I trust you, Natasha… Clint seems to, but can I? Can I trust you?”

She nodded in the affirmative. “Of course.”

The scientist licked dry lips and wiped away the tears. “They have my sister. They’re going to kill her. I didn’t have a choice. You can’t tell anyone… if they find out I told you… they’ll kill her!”

It was all she needed to hear. Natasha met Bobbi’s gaze and dropped a hand to the other woman’s shoulder, despite her discomfort with the display. “I believe you… but you realize I can’t just keep this to myself. If they have your sister… we need to save her.”

Bobbi rolled her eyes, and shook her head. “How?”

Natasha had no idea… but she could only think of one person who might be able to help. Nick Fury would not be happy….

*~*~*

_She was fourteen years old the first time she met the Black Widow. She was absolutely amazing… deadly and beautiful. The stories didn’t do her justice, and Valerie was mesmerized as she watched the woman move as if gravity could be bended and controlled to suit her will. She was fully aware of the fact that the Black Widow was her mother. She was reminded of it every day when she looked in the mirror and saw red hair fall into her face… and listened to people compare her to the Widow with shock and awed faces. It was a blessing and a curse to be related to someone so dangerous._

_Their eyes met for only a brief moment before Romanoff disappeared in the shadows and Valerie just couldn’t keep up. They had to keep their distance… the Widow couldn’t afford weakness. What made her name so fear-inspiring, so infamous was the fact that she didn’t bleed. She didn’t fall in love. She didn’t have children. She was a symbol of fear to those who dared stand in her way. That night Valerie realized just how amazing her mother was… and it only made Valerie hate her all the more. She was so very tired of being the cast away… the thing that should never have been. One day she was going to be better than the Black Widow could ever be. One day she would prove to the world just how exceptional she was._

Valerie refused to meet her mother’s gaze. She was back in the chair, though she wasn’t sure why they bothered considering she knew how to escape it. Perhaps it made them feel better… truly pathetic. Instead she chose to keep her eyes on the wall behind Romanoff, completely still. It was so quiet she was certain she could hear a pin drop. Eventually she grew tired of feeling like a zoo animal. It was obvious she’d have to be the first to break the silence. “How’s my father?”

“I don’t know. Bobbi’s with him.”

She kept her gaze on the wall, feeling the restraints press into her skin and keep her calm. The pain gave her something to focus on. “Smart… you do realize she’s the reason my father is dead in my timeline, right?”

“HYDRA has her sister.”

Valerie rolled her eyes in disgust. “Oh well in that case… let’s just forget the fact that she put the Avenger’s lives at risk by betraying her country!”

Natasha’s hands were behind her back, legs spread apart as she blocked Valerie’s view of the wall. “You’re going to help me find her sister.”

It was so ridiculous she had to laugh. “Oh mother… you always did have such a great sense of humor,” she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Natasha’s eyes were shooting daggers at her, and it wasn’t at all surprising. She was good at pushing aside her feelings for the mission. Her mother claimed she’d given Valerie up because it was safer… that it was her fault she’d been taken as a little girl by HYDRA. She’d never really cared for excuses. “This isn’t a joke, Valerie.”

“What makes you think I would ever help you?”

A flicker of something… and for a moment the mask was cracked. “Please… this is important. We need your help.”

The bitterness that overwhelmed Valerie made it difficult to care. She struggled against the restraints, and felt the pain in her arm grow sharp; Romanoff took a step back as the chair scrapped against the floor. “I would rather die! Beg me all you want, Black Widow, but I will never help you!” she shouted angrily.

She saw the look on her mother’s face. Pain and regret were easy to spot. “Then do it for your father. Bobbi’s important to him.”

Valerie let her eyes slide shut and she shook her head in frustration. “I’m sure Nick is just loving this… forced to ask the prisoner for help?”

“I wouldn’t know… I haven’t told him.”

That got her attention. “Really?”

There was longing there, but Valerie refused to know what it meant. They shared a connection few could understand. Valerie represented Natasha’s greatest failure. As powerful as she was, she hadn’t been strong enough to prevent her own daughter from facing the same demons she had. Valerie was used to her mother looking at her with pain in those expressive eyes. Her very existence was a curse, and she sometimes wondered why the Widow had even bothered to allow her to live at all. Perhaps one more innocent death on her conscious was too much for even her to take? “Bobbi fears there may be more moles hiding in SHIELD. We can’t trust anyone.”

“And if she’s lying?”

“She isn’t. I would know.”

Valerie let her arms relax, feeling the instant relief as Stark tech healed the wounds in her wrists. “I help on one condition.”

“That is?”

“Clint Barton stay’s out of the way. You protect him from this.” She knew her mother would take the deal. Despite all that stood between them, Clint Barton was important to them both. She knew his death had affected Natasha Romanoff in ways few could understand.

“I can live with that.”

Valerie smiled. “Good… now get these cuffs off we so I can end this….”

To Be Continued


	4. Full Circle

_He made her beg. The Black Widow didn’t beg, but apparently Natasha Romanoff did… especially when it was Clint Barton between her legs. He wanted her so desperately, and he knew it was wrong. It was so wrong. They weren’t ready for this. They weren’t ready for the power of this thing between them. It didn’t change the fact that he wanted to taste her, touch her, fuck her till she screamed his name. No one would take this moment away from him._

_He would brand her with his cock like heated metal on skin. He would ruin her, break her, and make her see what he could never say with words. Oh god… he loved her. He didn’t think it was possible to have space in his heart for another. Bobbi would always be there, but Natasha was there too. Was he selfish to want this? Was he greedy to think it possible he could strike gold twice? None of that mattered when he was pounding away inside her and gasping Nat’s name. He wanted it all. He wanted her._

Clint opened his eyes to feel a hand gently holding his. His head was pounding, and for a moment it seemed like he’d done this before, but he couldn’t remember indulging in alcohol… and Tony Stark was definitely not in bed with him this time. “You’re awake….”

He licked dry lips and turned his head to see Bobbi’s gentle smile. Her eyes were red, and she looked pale, but at least she was alive… at least she was safe. “Am I dead?” He should have been dead. He remembered Valerie… Natasha standing next to him, holding the gun to his head and… nothing.

Bobbi shook her head. “Natasha hit you before you could do something stupid… like shoot yourself.”

Perhaps it was stupid… reckless certainly, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He found it slightly amusing that it was usually left to Tasha to inflict her recalibrations. “Right.”

She was holding ice to the side of his face where Natasha had hit him. It certainly explained the headache. “You should be okay, but you may want to take it easy for the rest of the day… maybe two.”

“Valerie?”

Bobbi’s frown put him on edge immediately. “With Natasha.”

His eyes narrowed immediately, and he knew she was hiding something. “And where is Natasha?” She met his gaze, and he squeezed her hand gently. “Bobbi… tell me where Natasha is.”

*~*~*

It was a long shot, but finding Bobbi’s sister with Stark tech wasn’t going to be enough. She’d managed to imbed a trace into the signal Morse used when sending secrets to HYDRA, but there was no telling if her sister would be at the source. They needed more, and despite the risk, Valerie made the call. Although time travel was fairly new, she wasn’t the only one who’d ever gone back in time. Time agents were everywhere, and quite a few had made their way into HYDRA to feed information to the future. This was how they’d learned of Barbara Morse. His message was clear and to the point (as always), one address to a warehouse. They had what they needed. Valerie glanced over at her mother, unable to read her in the dark. “You sure you want to trust her?”

Natasha kept her eyes on the prize, surveying the warehouse from the above. They’d made their nest on the roof of a nearby building… Hawkeye would be proud. “She’s a friend.”

“She’s Clint Barton’s ex-wife,” she pointed out, slightly amused.

The Black Widow only shrugged. “I didn’t say she was a close friend.”

That was more like it. Valerie smiled. “Let’s move.”

*~*~*

She wasn’t used to working with a partner, other than maybe Clint (and sometimes the Avengers), but this was different. Valerie Barton was like a mirror. She moved just as smoothly as the Black Widow. When they broke into the warehouse they kept out of sight for as long as they could. They knocked out HYDRA agents as they made their way to the center of the warehouse, using the large storage containers as cover. Watching Valerie work burned her soul, but it was more like cauterizing a wound.

Whatever she’d done to cause Valerie to despise her didn’t matter when there was a common enemy to fight. They worked together as if they could read each other’s minds. Their skills were an even match. She tried not to identify the feeling swelling in her gut as she watched her daughter flip an agent who’d been about to shoot at Natasha. It was mesmerizing, and certainly impressive. “Thanks,” she whispered.

Valerie peeked around the next corner and signaled that their hostage was indeed there. “No sweat,” was her only reply. “We’ll need to draw away their attention. How good are you at dodging gunfire?” she asked with a playful smirk that could only have come from Clint.

Natasha narrowed her eyes. “I think we can do better than that.”

Neither was expecting the arrow that flew directly into the heart of one of the agents on guard. Valerie’s eyes widened as she looked up, but saw no one. “Damn it! I thought you knocked him out!”

“He obviously woke up,” said Romanoff with a sigh. She wasn’t surprised he’d come after them. He would never let them do this alone.

The other guards were officially distracted as they raised their guns and shot blindly into the air. Valerie and Natasha took that moment to move in, Natasha took the one on the right, and Valerie rushed left. They were unconscious before they hit the ground. **“You really thought I’d let you two have all the fun? I hate to miss a party.”** Barton asked through the comms, and Natasha smiled as she touched her ear.

 **“So sorry… next time you’ll be the first to get an invitation,”** she replied.

**“As long as you’ve learned your lesson… I suppose I’ll forgive you.”**

Valerie rolled her eyes. **“You guys can fuck each other later. We have a job to do.”**

Natasha glared at her daughter, even as her face grew hot, and risked a quick glance up even though she knew he was out of sight. She chose not to speak as she searched the pockets of each agent looking for the key to unlock the door. Another arrow flew past her and latched onto the door. Her eyes widened and she and Valerie immediately moved away before it could blow. **“Maybe next time you could warn somebody!”** she hissed through the comm as it blew and sent dust surging into her lungs. Valerie was coughing hard beside her.

 **“Right… sorry!”** was his reply. Somehow she doubted its sincerity.

“Hello!” someone shouted from inside. “Please help me!”

“Greta!” came a shout from up high… obviously Bobbi.

Valerie quirked an eyebrow at Natasha and rushed inside the small cell to untie Bobbi’s sister. “We’re here! We’re here to help!” she answered. Natasha kept watch outside, incase they’d missed anyone. It seemed strange that only a handful of agents would be on guard, but she wasn’t about to complain. She had no problems with an easy mission.

*~*~*

It became quite clear why it’d been so easy for them to break in the moment they released Greta and they heard the triggered alarm. Suddenly the canisters they’d seen before made sense, and Valerie realized what she’d smelled since the moment she broke inside the warehouse… gasoline. Her eyes widened. “MOVE!”

Exiting the warehouse became a bit more difficult as the explosions started around them. Fire heated her back as she trailed them from behind, taking on the worst of the flames. The quiet warehouse roared with each explosion, a network erupting down the line, and they were just barely keeping ahead of it. She cursed under her breath when Greta faltered and she was forced to pull her close to shield her from falling debris. Natasha was gone from their sight and the warehouse was crumbling around them. Smoke burned her lungs and fire scorched her skin. Not even the Stark tech inside could keep up with the burns and she cried out in pain even as she hugged Greta closer, keeping her safe for as long as she could.

“Valerie!” She could hear her mother shouting for her. Her father’s voice too. Bobbi was, of course, crying out for her sister.

The pain was overwhelming, and she knew she wouldn’t stay conscious for long. Her back screamed in agony from the flames, and she could see everything fading away. She fought unconsciousness for as long as she could, thinking only of her parents. She wondered what would have become of her if things had been different… if they’d been a family. Valerie had never thought of such things before… but dying did strange things to her brain.

*~*~*

Her first thought when she opened her eyes was that Phil Coulson was the devil, cause there was no way in hell someone like Valerie Barton would ever go to heaven. Her vision cleared and Valerie licked dry lips and groaned as her back still burned. Not dead… damn. It would take time for the Stark tech to heal her with all the burns she’d suffered, and the pain was still incredibly strong. When she looked around she could see her parents staring at Coulson with wide eyes, and she tried to smile, though it probably looked more like a grimace. “Greta?”

Clint pulled his eyes away from Coulson and took her hand. He was sitting next to her on the concrete, and she could see the warehouse still burning off in the distance… she hadn’t been unconscious long. “Bobbi’s with her. She barely got burned… you saved her life.”

Valerie nodded and glanced over at Coulson. “Took you long enough,” she grumbled.

Coulson shrugged. “I was indisposed. I didn’t actually expect you to blow the building.”

“It wasn’t exactly part of the plan,” she responded, pushing through the pain to sit up. Phil helped her get up slowly, always willing to offer a secure hand. She nodded to him gratefully and watched Natasha and Clint jump to their feet.

“You okay?” Natasha asked voice so much softer than Valerie ever remembered hearing it.

She nodded. “I heal fast… literally,” she assured her before turning to Coulson. “I’m guessing you saved us?”

Phil nodded towards the fire extinguisher and Valerie laughed. “I always come prepared,” he reminded her.

Eventually she turned back to her parents as the last of her burns were mended, and her skin returned to its normal shade of pale (as Nick would say). “I think my parents are a little curious as to how you’re alive.”

Coulson’s lips curled. “I’ll leave that for you to explain. I have quite a mess to clean up. The boss is not going to be pleased,” he said and gave a nod to both Natasha and Clint before walking away towards the warehouse.

“Wait… what the hell?! How does he… how does he know you?” asked Clint finally, coming back to himself even as Coulson walked away. His eyes were focused on their fallen friend.

“That isn’t your Coulson.”

Natasha frowned. “Excuse me?”

Valerie could feel a gentle breeze hit her back and she forced her body not to shiver. Her clothes were half burned off and she was feeling a bit exposed. “Phil Coulson is dead… Loki killed him. After an important agent of SHIELD is killed their put in cryostasis in case there is ever a time when he or she could be safely revived. Those put in stasis in my timeline are often used as Time Agents. Fury has dozens of them. Coulson was one of the first to be revived,” she explained.

Clint shook his head. “If that’s the case why wasn’t I revived after I was killed?”

Valerie wasn’t sure why her stomach turned and flopped at the thought of his death. She’d never even known him, but she couldn’t deny her need to protect him. She’d seen the pictures of his last mission. It hadn’t been pretty. “You assume there was enough of you left to put in stasis,” she whispered and looked away. “We should go… more HYDRA agents will be here soon.”

*~*~*

“This is where we go our separate ways.”

They were only a block from SHIELD headquarters and the sun was already peaking on the horizon. It’d be morning soon. Clint paused and turned back to Valerie with a frown. “We have to take you back, Valerie. Where would you even go?”

“Not where,” she corrected. “When.” There was a low beep coming from her arm and her lips pressed together in a tired frown. “My time is up.”

Natasha had been walking with Bobbi and Greta when she saw Clint and Valerie stop, immediately moving to see what was going on. Clint glanced over at her. “Valerie says she’s not coming.”

Romanoff shook her head. “Unacceptable, we need to bring you back,” she insisted.

Valerie smiled. “Sorry, I’ve got no choice in it. There’s a time limit to these things. You two be safe, hmmm? No getting yourself killed while I’m gone,” she said, backing away.

Natasha didn’t seem ready to let her go so easily, though Barton had a feeling neither of them could prevent it. “Valerie-”

“When you get back you should probably have Banner check you out, mother. I hear pregnancy can be pretty complicated, especially one as unique as yours.”

Barton watched Natasha’s eyes widen in surprise, and her hand dropped to her stomach involuntarily. It was something Clint had suspected from the moment he met their daughter. She wouldn’t have told them who she was unless the deed was already done. His left hand scratched the back of his neck and he shared a look with Valerie, who looked far too pleased with herself. One blink and the low beep stopped. Valerie Barton was gone just as suddenly as she’d appeared. He wasn’t sure what possessed him to reach for Natasha’s hand, but his heart sored when she linked their hands together.

*~*~* **Three Days Later**  


_“What now? If you really are pregnant-”_

_“You’re asking me?”_

_Clint let his head hang with a sigh, wishing like hell that he had all the answers. Everything was different now. His future was uncertain, and both knew the life Natasha carried was incredibly precious. They couldn’t screw this up again. Things had to be better this time around. Fate and destiny had put their future back in their hands, and he still felt completely lost. The thing was, he really did know what he wanted. He wanted Natasha. He always had. He couldn’t make the choice for both of them. Her pregnancy changed nothing. Valerie would be loved whether her parents were united or not. “Natasha… you have to tell me what you want.”_

_He could see the uncertainty in her eyes. There were so many emotions swirling inside her, making it difficult to think. It had to be tough for Tasha. It certainly was for him. The only difference was he had no trouble accepting how he felt. He couldn’t say the same for her. Natasha’s hand slipped into his own and he could feel her eyes on him, so he met her gaze. “I don’t know how to be a mother.”_

_“I don’t think anyone starts out knowing something like that.”_

_“I’ll screw it up. I’ll screw everything up.”_

_Clint lifted an eyebrow. “Yes because obviously you’re the only imperfect person in this relationship,” he retorted sarcastically._

_A genuine smile and her grip on his hand tightened. “Clint… tell me what I should do.”_

_Her trust in him took his breath away. Natasha Romanoff didn’t say words like that to just anybody. She didn’t give up her control unless she wanted to. To say what she had… she might as well have wrapped all her control issues in a small box with a bow and handed it to him. It was a gift, and he wouldn’t waste it. He smiled back at her. “Kiss me,” he finally told her._

_The world faded away as her lips touched his. It wouldn’t stop there. How could it? She was so soft and beautiful, and jeez… she was carrying his daughter in there! He wanted her. He wanted to make love to her, remind her how good they could be together. She wasn’t complaining when her legs wrapped around his waist. Suddenly he didn’t feel so lost anymore._

After being cursed out by Director Fury for nearly an hour they were given a half-hearted ‘good job’ and ‘disciplined’ with leave without pay for at least forty-eight hours. It might as well have been a slap on the wrist, but considering they’d managed to save Bobbi’s sister, and burn down a HYDRA warehouse… Fury couldn’t be too angry with them. They’d taken full advantage of the time for some much needed rest and relaxation… well; actually they mostly just fucked each other’s brains out. Clint smiled at the memory.

“Hey you guys!”

Barton turned to see Bobbi and Steve Rogers round the corner soaked in sweat. He really wasn’t sure he wanted to know what they’d been up to, but Natasha was curious. “You guys finish a work out?”

That was better than what he’d been thinking. He watched Bobbi’s smile grow instantly. “Actually, I’ve just begun training with the good Captain. He’s training me for combat.”

“Seriously?” He’d never actually imagined Bobbi Morse kicking butt and taking names, but he definitely liked the idea.

Bobbi shrugged. “I suppose after everything I just realized it’s about time I could protect myself for once… and maybe even keep my family safe in the process.” Although Greta had been put in protective custody and given a new name and identity, it didn’t change the fact that HYDRA was using new tactics to gain sensitive information from SHIELD. They would have to be more careful from now on, and he’d already been given a new assignment to investigate possible moles in their hierarchy.

Clint nodded. “You keep training with Captain America and you’ll be an Avenger before you know it. Bobbi Morse… superhero,” he teased playful. Natasha shot him a curious glance.

“I doubt that,” replied Bobbi with a laugh, and glanced over at Steve.

“I don’t know, Bobbi… I think Clint could be right. You’re a pretty impressive woman,” Rogers told her fondly, and Clint looked over at Natasha. He wondered if she saw the admiration on the Captain’s face too. There was definitely potential there. He tried not to find that weird. The idea of Rogers possibly developing feelings for his ex-wife wasn’t exactly something he could see himself cheering about, but at least he’d know Bobbi had found a good one… Steve Rogers would treat her right. That was for sure. He resisted the urge to take Natasha’s hand in his.

“Natasha and I were just about to grab something to eat. You two in?”

“Mind if we shower and change first?” asked Steve.

“Actually I insist on it,” he replied playfully.

Bobbi rolled her eyes. “Give us fifteen!”

She was off in seconds with Steve trailing behind her and Clint turned to Natasha who looked less than pleased. “What? We could double,” he teased.

Natasha punched him in the stomach, just soft enough not to cause damage, but it definitely hurt. “Right…” she muttered, walking away.

Barton let out a grunt and rushed off to follow her. He’d always thought the Black Widow was dangerous, but it turned out a pregnant Natasha Romanoff was even worse. The sex just barely made up for the pain he endured.

*~*~*

New memories flooded her mind like a tsunami. The dreadful burn of travelling time and the overwhelming conflict of two lifetimes of memories sent her to her knees almost the moment her body materialized. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. She was unprepared for any of it. Memories of loneliness and pain overlapped with memories of family and friends. Birthdays thrown by Tony Stark. Being held after nightmares in her father’s arms. Chasing Captain America with his shield in her tiny hands. She still felt the horrible ache in the pit of her stomach at being left in the dark, but it was softened by her mother leaving a nightlight in her room so she wouldn’t be afraid. Valerie didn’t even realize she was crying until the tears dripped down her face to the floor and she closed her eyes to stop more from falling.

“Hey… we’ve got you,” came a gentle whisper from a familiar voice. A blanket wrapped around her naked body and arms pulled her into the safety of a warm, hard body she could identify through her new memories only.

“Dad?” she whispered, allowing her eyes to open and see the face she’d been so terrified for. He was older, with grey hair and wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, but his smile was the same.

“I’m here,” he assured her, and held her tighter. “You did good, Valerie.”

Another hand came to tuck red hair behind her ear and she looked up to see her mother’s faint smile. “You’re home now,” she said. More tears fell. She never remembered crying before, but new memories immediately reminded her that she’d done it… many times.

Her mission was completed, and the future changed. Valerie let out a laugh as she leaned into her father’s touch. It was overwhelming and exhausting, but she felt better than she ever thought possible. It would take months for her to sift through the new memories. Two lives, as different as night and day. She couldn’t wait to see the person she’d become in this new world she’d helped create. “Yeah… I guess I am.”

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, I really hope you enjoyed this story. It was probably the most challenging story I’ve written yet, so that certainly made creating this world interesting and fun! Thank you so much for all the encouragement and comments!


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